Casting apparatus.



I. M. STEERiCK.

'csTmG'wPP/mws.

APPUCATHJNA HLED NOV. 24., |914.

1,14%;7888 meme@ June 1, 1915.

' Jim IMM@ I. M. FEERICK.

cAsTlNG APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1.914.

191%].97880 Patented June 1, 19K) 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. Suva/M450@ JM. FWN/0%?? n i Q; ailier/nua 45 .end

,f ai 4, 'ra @e .i miga CSTING' PPARTUS.

.Specification er' Letters Patent.

Paten red du. ie ji i @i tppleaton lef'i November in, 191e. Serial 11io. @3sat .To uit whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that li, Jarras Maurin linnn* Ion, a citizen of the Unitedat Nashville, inthe county of Davidson and t State of Tennessee, have'invented new and useful Improvements in Casting Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.I

This invention relates to improvements in dental casting apparatus, andparticularly lo machines of this character in which both vacuum andpressure are employed in casting inlays, etc., the object of theinvention being to provide a device of this character which is simple ofconstruction, reliable and ecient in operation and which is adapted forreceiving mold iaslrs or cups of differeut sizes and shapes.

' The invention consists of the features of construction, combinationand arrangement of parts herein fullyr described and claimed, referencebeing-hadto the accompanying drawings in whichz t Figure 1j isaperspective view of a casting apparatus embodying. my invention,showing the iiask cover retracted. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thesame showing the cover in operative position and the vacuum valve,

open. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sec-M` tion thrugh the machine.Fig. 4 is a sec` 4 30 tional plan view on the line le-4f. of Fig, 1.

Fig. 'is a detail view of the ltrip arm and tripfinger. Fig. 6 is a.section on an enlarged scale through the flask or cup and. its holder..Fi 7 is a detail view of a series of cupsor asks, and au adapted forapplication to the holder.

ln carrying my linvention into practice I provide a suitable receptaclel, serving asa vacuum chamber, and which is 'supported 0 upon andsuitably secured to saddles 2' carried by supporting legs 3. Extendinglongitudinally through the space beneath the vacuum chamber and betweenthe side sets of le s is a suction pipe asupported at one rom the vacuumchamber by a hanger 5 and connected at its opposite end with a vacuumchamber by means of an elbow coupling 6, whereby communication isestablished between said pipe and chamber. The

5 pipe is adapted for coupling connection' at its free end with a vacuumpump or device whereby the chamber 1 may be exhausted of air, andsuitably arranged in said pipe is a check valve 7 arranged to open to.permit air to exhaust from the chamber 1 and `to close to prevent itsreturn. A gage 8 1s suit` States, residing l vided internally mined.

Extending longitudinally above the vacuum chamber is a vacuum pipe 9connected at one end with the chamber by an elbow cou-I pling it? andsupper-'ted at its opposite end by a bracket member 11, which end of thepipe isv provided with anl elbow coupling 12. Fitted and secured withinthis coupling 12 is a cup or flask holder 13, which is prowith a beveledor chamfered surface 14 and is adapted for. the reception of any one ofa series of interchangeable cups or flasks, designated generally by 15in Fig. 7. Each of these cups or asks has a bottom portion which isadapted to lit snugly within the holder'and is formed with a beveled orcharnfered surface 16 to snugly engage the surface 14 and thereby forman air tight joint between the cup and flask. It will be evident thatthe shape of the seat surface 14 of the bearing surface 16 of the cup issuch as to permit a. fitted iiask or cup to shift slightly out ofaccurate perpendicular position without in any ,mam ner breaking a tightjoint or seal between the same and the holder. If, therefore, in theoperation of the device, the flask cover,

herein described, should not come with mathematical accuracyintoposition, but4 should :nove the cup or asl slightly-out of accurateposition, cup and its holder will not be affected and the casting willnot be impaired or rendered inoperative. By the use of such a seat andsupporting surface forming accurately litting joint members, l amenabled to employ any number of interchangeable flasks or cups ofdifferent shapes and sizes, some of which are shown `in Fig. 7, so thatvarious kinds of castings may be made on one and the same machine, itbeing only necessary to have the joint surfaces of these fiasks alikefor cooperation with the joint surface of the holder. y Y

A rotary plug valve 17 is arranged in .the pipe 9 and provided with ahandle'or lever 18. This valve controls communication between the flaskholder and ia'slr and vacuum chamber and is closed when the lever isdisposed. in an upright position. It will,

of course, be understood that the cup in use is iilled with aninvestment compound, provided with the usual mold cavity, gate andsprue. n the operation vof the apparatus,

the joint between the i yas in other machines of the same type, a

vacuum is produced on the sprue side of the Valve chamber, whereby themolten metal in the gate is drawn down into the mold chambercommunication being established or cut off between the cup and vacuumchamber by opening and closing the valve '17.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a means whereby,in addition to the 4vacuum drawing action above stated, pressure may begenerated behind or above the metal in the cup to force the metal downinto the mold chamber, which forcing pressure action is establishedsimultaneously with the vacuum drawing action or suction action, so thatthe molten metal will be caused to fill the mold chamber for theproduction of a perfect casting. As shown in the present instance, thepipe 9 is composed of two sections united by a fourarrned coupling 19,with the horizontal branches of which the said pipe sections areconnected. The lower vertical pipe section of this coupling is suitablyclosed, as by a lug 20, while from the upper vertical brano of thecoupling rises a standard 21,

which is fitted or otherwise suitably secured therein.;v To the upperend of this standard is pivoted, as at 22 a hand lever 23 carrying afiask cover 24:. This cover is adapted to t snugly down upon the cup orflask to seal the same during the vacuum drawing process and has aninterior packing 25 of 'and an absorbent material such as Moldine orasbestos saturated with moisture, so that when the -cover comes intoiiaslr closing position the heat of the {iask and the molten metaltherein will cause evaporation of the moisture in the Moldine orasbestos, wherebyA steam` is produced and caused to exert a workingpressure on the 'molten metal to force the same down into the moldcavity. A trip finger 26 is carried by an 'arm 27 secured to the lever23 and is ar- `rangedtoengage the lever 18 and force the valve open whenthe lever 23 is moved ,downwardly-to bring the cup 24 in-to closingposition, whereby at the instant of the generation of steam in the topof the mold liask communication will be established between the flaskand vacuum chamber for a vacuum or suction action on the base of theflask, by which the metal will be subjected to a double forcing actionto insure its passage from the gate to the mold cavity and its perfectconformation to all the variations of surface of the latter. The fingeris in the form of a hooked member pivotally connected with the arm 27and adjustable kto different angles by means of a clamping screw or nut28, so that it may be disposed to open the valve 17 with accuracy and atthe proper time on the downward working movement of the lever 23, thevalve 17 being afterward closed by hand as will be readily understood.

'It will thus be seen that my invention provides a casting machine whichis of maximum simplicity of construction, but at the same time providesfor the simultaneous subjection of the metal in the flask to a suctiondrawing action on one side and steam pressure on the opposite side,whereby it willbe drawn into the mold cavity to fill the same and toform a casting rconform-4 bination with a vacuum chamber, and a vacuumpipe communicating therewith, said pipe being arranged in a horizontalposition and iaving means for the attachment of a mold thereto, ofa-controlling valve 1in said pipe having a handle vertically 'disposedwhen the valve is in closed position,

an upright'risng from the pipe, a hand lever pivotally connected `withsaid upright and carrying a cap having a lining-of absorbent material,adapted upon the downward movement of the lever to move into moldclosing position, a valve actuating arm projecting at right angles fromthe lever, a sleeve carried by said arm and adjustable longitudinally ofthe lever, said sleeve be ing provided with a set screw for securing itin adjusted position, a finger having a hook-shape end to engage andvmove the valve handle from a normallydvertical to a horizontalposition', whereby the valve is open to establish communication betweenthe vacuum chamber and mold, said finger being pivotally mounted foradjustment upon said arm, and means for securing said finger in adjustedposition.

ln testimony whereof I aflix my signa Witnesses;

E, Farmen, J. S. WALLER.

